Cannabidivarin (CBDV) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in Cannabis. (Wikipedia)

Epilepsy is a serious medical condition noted chiefly for recurrent brain seizures, affecting many millions of people across the world. Typical pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, often serious or disabling themselves, and the next alternative is often surgery. But for many years, people suffering from epileptic seizures have noticed that they tend to go away when they smoke marijuana, and finally the medical profession is looking into it seriously.

A rat-based study just published in the British Journal of Pharmacology tested CBDV (Cannabidivarin), and concluded that “CDBV is an effective anti-convulsant across a broad range of seizure models, and does not significantly affect normal motor function, and merits further investigation in chronic epilepsy models to justify human trials.”

Ben Whalley, one of the scientists at the University of Reading who worked with GW Pharmaceuticals, was quoted in New Scientist as saying there is “big, historical, anecdotal evidence” that cannabinoids can be used to control human seizures. This ultimately led the team to working with animals for proof of concept. The discovery that CBDV suppressed seizures without disturbing motor function is of great importance.

Cannabinoids and Patents

Dr. Whalley is also the first name on a patent application I discovered from earlier this year, where he and his colleagues tested CBDV along with CBD and THCV, again with animals and also with very positive results. While some in the medical marijuana community are suspicious of patents in general and GW Pharmaceuticals in particular, personally I believe that they are doing a great deal for the advancement of cannabis science.

And I’m neither a doctor or a lawyer, but I’d also like to point out that no patent in the world can stop anyone from using the cannabis plant, or any part of it, for medical purposes, even commercially.